Google releases Native Client SDK

SOFTWARE HOUSE Google has released the first version of its Native Client software development kit (SDK) for the Chrome web browser as it prepares for a public launch.

Google's open source Native Client allows users to run native code within the web browser. The goal is to create application interoperability between web browsers and operating systems, allowing applications to run within the browser as if they were standalone programs.

It is the ability to run full blown applications and their associated security issues that has led Google to focus its efforts on security, including a sandbox and an auto-update feature. The firm said it will add developer support for 3D graphics, local storage, P2P networking and Dynamic Shared Objects, which it says will eventually allow it to provide Application Binary Interface (ABI) stability.

Google says that until ABI stability is reached, Native Client will remain off by default. Those who still want to take Google's Native Client can do so by digging through the about:flags dialogue in Chrome 10, although if you aren't a developer, at present there's very little you can do with it.

The ability to create desktop-esque applications within the Chrome web browser is the real reason why Google has been pushing its Chrome Web Store so hard in recent months. It provides developers will an easy way to flog their wares for possibly a lot more than the cost of a cut down Android application, with Google taking a cut of the final price.

Google's aim with the release of the Native Client SDK is to get developers working on creating applications ready for when it turns Native Client on by default in Chrome. µ